Slow Down My Friend (A Poem)

Award-Winning Canadian Immigration and Refugee Law and Commentary Blog

Slow down my friend

I see that mind moving at a million miles an hour

The chip on the shoulder – the connection to the strained brain

Navigating both sun and rain, dark clouds lead to gaps in weather

Whether you are stuttering and faltering, apologizing for forgetting

But really you are apologizing  for the fact that you cannot begin to share all that is weighing you down

You are an imperfect person in this world demanding your perfection

You viscerally look weak in their eyes so you try and mentally exude strength – you are a rock not shards of broken glass

But it’s strength you never had, that was constantly extracted from you like a precious resource

You are an ocean losing it’s own water, a dream losing it’s own subconscious, a mission losing its own commander

Slow down, none of that matters

For yesterday you saw your mom smile for the first time in years

You were there when your daughter cried her first tears

You sat with a good friend that the whole world ignored

You ate food that they used to say was meant for the poor

You took one step further through a supposedly locked door

Slow down, to realize you’ve come so far

It doesn’t matter that back in the day they said you were sub-par

That year after year they ignored the light of your star

That you always took the middle back seat of the car

That you struggled to even pass or be even with the bar

You’ve sped through so much of your life or had those moments sped up for you

Growing up without your father

A sister who doesn’t speak to you

No sense of what love is in your life any more

A home that is empty every day of the week

Words trapped in the throat that you are so anxious to speak

You can’t liberate yourself when you are busy trying to keep up

Slow down my sister and brother, sip slowly from this cup.

About Us

Will Tao is an Award-Winning Canadian Immigration and Refugee Lawyer, Writer, and Policy Advisor based in Vancouver. Vancouver Immigration Blog is a public legal resource and social commentary

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